Bone Conduction Tags

ABSTRACT

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for bone conduction tags. According to one aspect of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, a device can receive, via a transducer, a vibration signal from a body of a user. The vibration signal can be generated in response to the user interacting with a bone conduction tag. For example, the vibration signal can be generated in response to the user moving one or more fingers across the bone conduction tag. The device can analyze the vibration signal to determine an action that is to be performed. The device can perform the action or can instruct a further device to perform the action.

BACKGROUND

Bone conduction is a developing communication technology with numerouspotential applications. Bone conduction technology has the potential tomake interactions with objects more real and tactile in a world that isincreasingly virtual. Quick response (“QR”) codes and near-fieldcommunication (“NFC”), for example, enable users to access informationabout locations, objects, and services using their mobile device. Theprocess of acquiring such information, however, is often unnatural andcan detract from the user experience.

SUMMARY

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for bone conduction tags.According to one aspect of the concepts and technologies disclosedherein, a device can receive, via a transducer, a vibration signal froma body of a user. The vibration signal can be generated in response tothe user interacting with a bone conduction tag. For example, thevibration signal can be generated in response to the user moving one ormore fingers across the bone conduction tag. The device can analyze thevibration signal to determine an action that is to be performed.

In some embodiments, the device can perform the action. In some otherembodiments, the device can instruct a further device to perform theaction.

In some embodiments, the device is, for example, a desktop, laptopcomputer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a netbook computer, amobile telephone, a smartphone, a feature phone, a video game system, ahandheld video game system, a set-top box, a vehicle computing system, asmart watch, a personal fitness tracker, a safety device, a wearabledevice, a music playback device, a video playback device, an internetappliance, a television, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”),combinations thereof, or the like.

In some embodiments, the bone conduction tag comprises a plurality ofelevations that is utilized to encode data to be sent to the device viathe vibration signal. In these embodiments, the user can interact withthe bone conduction tag by moving his or her finger across the pluralityof elevations thereby generating the vibration signal.

In some embodiments, the bone conduction tag can include a plurality ofmaterials that is utilized to encode data to be sent to the device viathe vibration signal. In these embodiments, the user can interact withthe bone conduction tag by moving his or her finger across the pluralityof materials thereby generating the vibration signal.

In some embodiments, the bone conduction tag can include a material thatis modified to encode data to be sent to the device via the vibrationsignal. In these embodiments, the user can interact with the boneconduction tag by moving his or her finger across the material therebygenerating the vibration signal.

According to another aspect of the concepts and technologies disclosedherein, a bone conduction tag includes a substrate that is formed from amaterial. The substrate can include a plurality of variations that areused to generate a vibration signal that propagates through a bone of auser to a device. The device can analyze the vibration signal todetermine an action that is to be performed based upon data encoded inthe plurality of variations.

In some embodiments, the substrate is formed from a further material.The plurality of variations can include variations between the materialand the further material.

In some embodiments, the plurality of variations can includemodifications to the material. The modifications can include abrasionsto the materials and/or other modifications to create differentvibration signals.

It should be appreciated that the above-described subject matter may beimplemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, acomputing system, or as an article of manufacture such as acomputer-readable storage medium. These and various other features willbe apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and areview of the associated drawings.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intendedthat this Summary be used to limit the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited toimplementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part ofthis disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1C are diagrams illustrating aspects of an illustrativeoperating environment for various concepts disclosed herein, accordingto an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method for reading abone conduction tag via bone conduction, according to anotherillustrative embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example mobile device capableof implementing aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example computer systemcapable of implementing aspects of the embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a network, according to an illustrativeembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Bone conduction is a developing communication technology with numerouspotential applications. Bone conduction technology has the potential tomake interactions with objects more real and tactile in a world that isincreasingly virtual. Quick response (“QR”) codes and near-fieldcommunication (“NFC”), for example, enable users to access informationabout locations, objects, and services using their mobile device. Theseprocesses, however, are often unnatural and can detract from the userexperience.

Bone conduction technology can be used to overcome the aforementionedshortcomings. The concepts and technologies disclosed herein not onlyovercome the unnatural process of accessing information via coded tags,but also introduces new ways of triggering actions, enables newprocesses for retail services, brings new capabilities and potentialsecurity measures to rapidly developing 3D manufacturing technology, andcreates innovative opportunities for manufacturing and packaging. Theconcepts and technologies disclosed herein also are likely much cheaperand more adaptable than radio frequency identification (“RFID”) and NFCtags and also do not require a power source like active RFID and NFCtags. As will be described in greater detail herein, one aspect of theconcepts and technologies disclosed herein is the use of a boneconduction tag that includes different alternating surfaces and/ormaterials to encode data. The data can be transmitted through one ormore bones of a user via a vibration signal to a device, such as amobile device or a wearable device, or other system in response to theuser moving his or her finger(s) across the bone conduction tag.

While the subject matter described herein may be presented, at times, inthe general context of program modules that execute in conjunction withthe execution of an operating system and application programs on acomputer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that otherimplementations may be performed in combination with other types ofprogram modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,components, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and/orother types of structures that perform particular tasks or implementparticular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the subject matter described herein may be practicedwith other computer system, including hand-held devices, mobile devices,wireless devices, multiprocessor systems, distributed computing systems,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers, routers, switches, other computingdevices described herein, and the like.

In the following detailed description, references are made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown byway of illustration specific embodiments or examples. Referring now tothe drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements throughoutthe several figures, example aspects of bone conduction tags will bepresented.

Referring now to FIG. 1A, aspects of an operating environment 100 inwhich various embodiments presented herein may be implemented will bedescribed, according to an illustrative embodiment. The illustratedoperating environment 100 includes a user's hand 102 with a first finger104 of the user's hand 102 shown in contact with a bone conduction tag106A. The bone conduction tag 106A can encode data using physicalvariations in height of a substrate 108. The physical variations arereferred to hereinafter as elevations (“E”) 110. The bone conduction tag106A can encode the data additionally using physical differences in awidth (“W”) 112 of one or more of the elevations (“E”) 110. The boneconduction tag 106A can encode the data additionally using spaces (“S”)114 between the elevations 110.

The substrate 108 of the bone conduction tag 106A can be formed, atleast in part, from any material or combination of materials, someexamples of which include plastic, composite, metal, paper, cardboard,ceramic, and wood. In some embodiments, the bone conduction tag 106A canbe a standalone tag. In some other embodiments, the bone conduction tag106A can be built-in to or attached to any other object. By way ofexample, and not limitation, the other object may be a package, adevice, a furniture piece, an appliance, a vehicle, a tool, a wall, adoor, or a building structure. The bone conduction tag 106A may beattached to a person, such as the user. In some embodiments, the boneconduction tag 106A incorporates Braille to aid a sight-impairedindividual.

The bone conduction tag 106A and other bone conduction tags describedherein (see FIGS. 1B-1C) can enable manufacturers and retailers toreplace NFC tags, QR codes, RFID tags, and/or other similar taggingtechnologies with bone conduction tags. Bone conduction tags can beincorporated into products and/or product packaging and can provide amore natural customer interaction with products and/or productpackaging. Bone conduction tags can be stamped into the packaging duringthe manufacturing process resulting in a cost reduction relative to RFIDand NFC tags, as well as eliminating the power requirements of RFID andNFC tags. Bone conduction tags can be incorporated into 3D printedobjects to uniquely identify the machine that created the tag, the ownerof the tag, and/or other data. Bone conduction tags can be incorporatedinto objects to provide usage information and/or to trigger eventsthereby adding another dimension to the interaction a user has withobjects. The bone conduction tags can be incorporated into the surfaceof the object itself during the manufacturing process. Bone conductiontags can be created or customized by a user and placed on differentobjects or surfaces (e.g., with an adhesive) and can be used to triggerevents and/or actions. Bone conduction tags can eliminate the need forscanners at retail establishments. Retail associates, in oneimplementation, could utilize a mobile device and bone conduction tagson products to checkout a customer.

In the illustrated example, the elevations 110 of the bone conductiontag 106A each can be representative of a binary digit one (“1”) and eachof the spaces 114 can be representative of a binary digit zero (“0”). Auniversal product code (“UPC”) includes one or more black bars that eachrepresents the binary digit one (“1”) and one or more white bars thateach represents the binary digit zero (“0”). A bone conduction tag, suchas the bone conduction tag 106A, equivalent to the UPC, would have theblack bars, each representative of the binary digit one (“1”), elevatedabove a baseline of the substrate 108 as shown by the elevations 110,and the white bars, each representative of the binary digit zero (“0”),level with or near the baseline of the substrate 108 as shown by thespaces 114.

As the user contacts the bone conduction tag 106A and moves the firstfinger 104, and potentially one or more other fingers, in the direction116 shown, the elevations 110 and the spaces 114 cause a vibrationsignal 118A to be generated. The vibration signal 118A is representativeof the data encoded in the bone conduction tag 106A. The vibrationsignal 118A can propagate through one or more bones 120 of the user to awearable device 122 and/or to a user device 124 with which the user mayalso be in contact.

In some embodiments, the wearable device 122 can receive the vibrationsignal 118A via one or more user side transducers 126. In someembodiments, the user device 124 can receive the vibration signal 118Adirectly via one or more device side transducers 128. In someembodiments, the user device 124 can receive the vibration signal 118Afrom the wearable device 122 via a communication link 129. Establishmentof the communication link 129 can be initiated by the wearable device122 or the user device 124. The communication link 129 can be createdusing BLUETOOTH, BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY, NFC, ad-hoc WI-FI, WI-FI, ZIGBEE,other radio frequency technologies, infrared, infrared data association(“IRDA”), combinations thereof, and the like. Alternatively, thecommunication link 129 can be or can include a wired connectionestablished between the wearable device 122 and the user device 124.Moreover, multiple wireless and/or wired connections can be utilizedbetween the wearable device 122 and the user device 124 and/or one ormore other devices that each include, for example, one or more oftransducers. As such, the configuration shown in this regard should notbe construed as being limiting in any way.

In the illustrated embodiment, the wearable device 122 is a smartwatch,although the wearable device 122 may be other jewelry such as anecklace, ring, bracelet, anklet, or earring, or any other device thatis wearable by the user. The wearable device 122 alternatively may beembedded within tissue of the user (e.g., as a tattoo or implanteddevice).

The user side transducer(s) 126 can be built-in to the wearable device122 as shown. The user side transducer(s) 126 can be attached to thewearable device 122. The user side transducer(s) 126 can be built-in toanother device that is attached to or worn by the user. The user sidetransducer(s) 126 can be attached to another device that is attached toor worn by the user. The user side transducer(s) 126 can be attached toor worn directly on the skin (e.g., as a tattoo or part of a tattoo),underneath the skin, or within the body of the user (e.g., as animplantation device). As such, the user side transducer(s) 126 beingbuilt-in to the wearable device 122 in the illustrated embodiment shouldnot be construed as being limiting in any way.

The user side transducer(s) 126, in some embodiments, are piezoelectrictransducers, such as contact microphones or other electro-acoustictransducers. The user side transducer(s) 126 can receive the vibrationsignal 118A after propagating through the bone(s) 120 of the user. Theuser side transducer(s) 126 can vibrate in accordance with the vibrationsignal 118A. In some embodiments, the wearable device 122 can analyzethe vibration signal 118A and can perform one or more actions and/or cantrigger the user device 124 to perform one or more operations inresponse based upon the data encoded in the vibration signal 118A. Insome other embodiments, the wearable device 122 can receive thevibration signal 118A and provide the vibration signal 118A to the userdevice 124 via the communication link 129 or through further boneconduction to the device side transducer(s) 128. The device sidetransducer(s) 128 may separately receive the vibration signal 118A

The user device 124, in some embodiments, is or includes a desktop,laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a netbookcomputer, a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a feature phone, a videogame system, a handheld video game system, a set-top box, a vehiclecomputing system, a smart watch, a personal fitness tracker, a safetydevice, a wearable device, a music playback device, a video playbackdevice, an internet appliance, a television, a personal digitalassistant (“PDA”), combinations thereof, or the like. It should beunderstood that the functionality of the user device 124 can be providedby a single device, by two or more similar devices, and/or by two ormore dissimilar devices.

The user device 124 can receive the vibration signal 118A via the deviceside transducer(s) 128. The device side transducer(s) 128, in someembodiments, are piezoelectric transducers, such as contact microphonesor other electro-acoustic transducers. The device side transducer(s) 128can be built-in to the user device 124. The device side transducer(s)128 can be attached to the user device 124. The device sidetransducer(s) 128 can be built-in to a case that is placed on the userdevice 124. The device side transducer(s) 128 can be built-in to adisplay (not shown) of the user device 124 and/or any other component ofthe user device 124. As such, the device side transducer(s) 128 beingbuilt-in to the user device 124 in the illustrated embodiment should notbe construed as being limiting in any way.

The user device 124 can execute, via one or more processors 130, asignal detection and analysis application 132 to detect the vibrationsignal 118A received by the device side transducer(s) 128, to analyzethe vibration signal 118A, and to perform one or more actions and/or totrigger the user device 124 to perform one or more operations inresponse based upon the data encoded in the vibration signal 118A.Alternatively, the user device 124 can receive the vibration signal 118Afrom the wearable device 122 via the communication link 129. It shouldbe understood that the wearable device 122 also can include one or moreprocessors and a signal detection and analysis application to performthe operations described herein.

One or more signal characteristics (e.g., amplitude, frequency, and/orphase) of the vibration signal 118A can be modified during propagationthrough the user's body by, for example, the height, weight, body fatpercentage, body muscle percentage, and/or bone characteristics such asbone density, bone structure, and bone mass of the user's body. In someembodiments, the signal detection and analysis application 132 canutilize a baseline reference signal that includes signal characteristicsindicative of the effects the bone(s) 120 of the user so that thecharacteristics of the baseline reference signal can be removed from thevibration signal 118A to isolate the characteristics of the vibrationsignal 118A that are indicative of the data encoded in the boneconduction tag 106A.

The vibration signal 118A can trigger the user device 124 to perform oneor more actions. The action(s) may be carried out via execution, by theprocessor(s) 130, of one or more applications 134 and/or an operatingsystem 136. The application(s) 134 can include, but are not limited to,productivity applications, entertainment applications, videoapplications, music applications, video game applications, cameraapplications, messaging applications, social network applications,enterprise applications, map applications, security applications,presence applications, visual voice mail applications, text-to-speechapplications, speech-to-text applications, email applications, calendarapplications, camera applications, web browser applications, and thelike. The application(s) 134 can execute on top of the operating system136.

The operating system 136 can include a member of the SYMBIAN OS familyof operating systems from SYMBIAN LIMITED, a member of the WINDOWSMOBILE OS and/or WINDOWS PHONE OS families of operating systems fromMICROSOFT CORPORATION, a member of the PALM WEBOS family of operatingsystems from HEWLETT PACKARD CORPORATION, a member of the BLACKBERRY OSfamily of operating systems from RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED, a member ofthe IOS family of operating systems from APPLE INC., a member of theANDROID OS family of operating systems from GOOGLE INC., and/or otheroperating systems. These operating systems are merely illustrative ofsome contemplated operating systems that may be used in accordance withvarious embodiments of the concepts and technologies described hereinand therefore should not be construed as being limiting in any way. Thesignal detection and analysis application 132 can be a standaloneapplication or can be included as part of the application(s) 134 or theoperating system 136. In some embodiments, operations available from thesignal detection and analysis application 132 can be exposed via one ormore application programming interfaces (“APIs”) (not shown).

Turning now to FIG. 1B, the operating environment 100 introduced in FIG.1A is again shown. The bone conduction tag 106A has been replaced byanother bone conduction tag 106B. The bone conduction tag 106B canencode data using different materials as an alternative to theelevations 110 of the bone conduction tag 106A described above withreference to FIG. 1A. The bone conduction tag 106B can be formed fromtwo or more materials selected to provide detectable variations in avibration signal 118B. For example, as shown in FIG. 1B, the boneconduction tag 106B can be formed from a first material 138 and a secondmaterial 140, each providing one or more detectable variations in theresulting vibration signal 118B generated when the first finger 104, andpotentially one or more other fingers, of the user contacts the boneconduction tag 106B and moves in the direction 116 shown. The boneconduction tag 106A described above in view of FIG. 1A utilizes binaryencoding. The bone conduction tag 106B can use binary encoding, butalternatively can use three or more states to encode data. The number ofstates used for encoding data using the bone conduction tag 106B can bedefined, for example, by the number of materials involved and how mucheach material differs from the other(s) in the resulting vibrationsignal 118B.

Turning now to FIG. 1C, the operating environment 100 introduced in FIG.1A is again shown. The bone conduction tag 106A has been replaced byanother bone conduction tag 106C. The bone conduction tag 106C canencode data by using different materials or a modified material as analternative to the elevations 110 of the bone conduction tag 106Adescribed above with reference to FIG. 1A. For example, as shown in FIG.1C, the bone conduction tag 106B can be formed from a first material138, a second material 140, a third material 142, and a fourth material144, each providing one or more detectable variations in the resultingvibration signal 118C generated when the first finger 104, andpotentially one or more other fingers, of the user contacts the boneconduction tag 106B and moves in the direction 116 shown. In someembodiments, the materials 138-144 are the same material that has beenabraded or otherwise modified to create different vibration signals. Thebone conduction tag 106C enable more than two states to be encoded byusing different surface modifications to achieve different vibrations.The bone conduction tag 106C therefore provides the simplicity and costeffective aspect of the bone conduction tag 106A as well as the largerencoding capabilities of the bone conduction tag 106B.

Turning now to FIG. 2, aspects of a method 200 for reading a boneconduction tag, such as any of the bone conduction tags 106A-106Cdescribed above, via bone conduction will be described, according to anillustrative embodiment. It should be understood that the operations ofthe methods are not necessarily presented in any particular order andthat performance of some or all of the operations in an alternativeorder(s) is possible and is contemplated. The operations have beenpresented in the demonstrated order for ease of description andillustration. Operations may be added, omitted, and/or performedsimultaneously, without departing from the scope of the concepts andtechnologies disclosed herein.

It also should be understood that the methods disclosed herein can beended at any time and need not be performed in their respectiveentireties. Some or all operations of the methods, and/or substantiallyequivalent operations, can be performed by execution ofcomputer-readable instructions included on a computer storage media, asdefined herein. The term “computer-readable instructions,” and variantsthereof, as used herein, is used expansively to include routines,applications, application modules, program modules, programs,components, data structures, algorithms, and the like. Computer-readableinstructions can be implemented on various system configurationsincluding the user device 124, the wearable device 122, single-processoror multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based,programmable consumer electronics, other devices and systems disclosedherein, combinations thereof, and the like.

Thus, it should be appreciated that the logical operations describedherein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts orprogram modules running on a computing system and/or (2) asinterconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within thecomputing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent onthe performance and other requirements of the computing system.Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred tovariously as states, operations, structural devices, acts, or modules.These states, operations, structural devices, acts, and modules may beimplemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic,and any combination thereof. As used herein, the phrase “cause aprocessor to perform operations” and variants thereof refers to causingone or more processors, such as the processor(s) 130 of the user device124, one or more processors of the wearable device 122, one or moreprocessors of any other device or system disclosed herein, to performone or more operations and/or causing one or more processors to directother components of the computing system or device to perform one ormore of the operations.

For purposes of illustrating and describing some of the concepts of thepresent disclosure, the methods disclosed herein are described as beingperformed, at least in part, by the user device 124 via execution, bythe processor(s) 130, of one or more software modules and/or softwareapplications, such as, for example, the signal detection and analysisapplication 132, the application(s) 134, and/or the operating system136, and/or by similar components of the wearable device 122. It shouldbe understood that additional and/or alternative devices and/or networknodes can provide the functionality described herein via execution ofone or more modules, applications, and/or other software. Thus, theillustrated embodiments are illustrative, and should not be viewed asbeing limiting in any way.

The method 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and furtherreference to FIGS. 1A-1C. The method 200 begins at operation 202, wherea device, such as the user device 124 or the wearable device 122,receives, via one or more transducers, such as the device sidetransducer(s) 128 or the user side transducer(s) 126, one or morevibration signals, such as one or more of the vibration signals118A-118C, from a user's body in response to the user interacting withone or more bone conduction tags, such as one or more of the boneconduction tags 106A-106C. The remainder of the method 200 will bedescribed in context of the user device 124, the device sidetransducer(s) 128, the bone conduction tag 106A, and the vibrationsignal 118A as shown in FIG. 1A.

From operation 202, the method 200 proceeds to operation 204, where theuser device 124, and more particularly, the signal detection andanalysis application 132 via execution by the processor(s) 130, analyzesthe vibration signal 118A to determine one or more actions to beperformed. The signal detection and analysis application 132 may analyzeone or more features/characteristics of the vibration signal 118A,including, for example, amplitude, frequency, and/or phase. In someembodiments, the user device 124 provides the vibration signal 118A to aremote device or system (e.g., a remote server) that performs theanalysis and instructs the user device 124 to perform one or moreactions based upon the analysis.

The action(s) can be or can include establishing one or more wirelessconnections, launching one or more applications (e.g., theapplication(s) 134), launching a website, launching a web application,combinations thereof, and the like. Another action can be used in astore environment during customer checkout, wherein an associated of thestore swipes a bone conduction tag and/or the customer swipes the boneconduction tag thereby causing an associated item to be added to a“shopping cart,” invoice, or other listing of items the customer mightpurchase. Alternatively, swiping a bone conduction tag in thisimplementation might cause an immediate or delayed purchase of theassociated item(s). Another action can be input received by the userdevice 124, which may be associated with one or more of theapplications(s) 134. Another action can be the selection of a system ordevice that operates remotely from the user device 124.

In some embodiments, the signal detection and analysis application 132via execution by the processor(s) 130, analyzes the vibration signal118A at least by comparing the vibration signal 118A to tag data storedby the user device 124 and/or stored remotely from the user device 124to determine whether a match or approximate match (e.g., a match with apercentage greater than or equal to a minimum match percentage) exists.This comparison operation may function, in some embodiments, as a lookuptable operation. Each stored tag might have an associated action, suchas described above, which is carried out when the vibration signal 118Ais matched to the corresponding stored tag. In some implementations, atag might be associated with more than one action. Moreover, in someimplementations, a tag might be associated with other information (e.g.,time of day, location, and/or other contextual data) that the signaldetection and analysis application 132 can utilize to determine whichaction(s) is/are appropriate.

In some other embodiments, the vibration signal 118A can be aninstruction directed to the user device 124, the wearable device 122,another system, another device, or some combination thereof. Theinstruction can be carried out by the receiving device upon or afterreceipt of the vibration signal 118A. For example, the vibration signal118A might be analyzed by the user device 134 and found to contain an IPaddress to which the user device 134 then connects. In otherembodiments, the vibration signal 118A is not an instruction or storedtag, but rather other information that might be of use to the user, theuser device 134, the wearable device 122, another system, anotherdevice, or some combination of device(s)/system(s). These and theembodiments presented immediately above may be combined in any way intoa single bone conduction tag.

From operation 204, the method 200 proceeds to operation 206, where theuser device 124 performs the action(s). In addition or as analternative, the user device 124 can instruct a further device, such asthe wearable device 122, to perform the action(s).

From operation 206, the method 200 proceeds to operation 208. The method200 ends at operation 208.

Turning now to FIG. 3, an illustrative mobile device 300 and componentsthereof will be described. In some embodiments, the user device 124and/or the wearable device 122 described above can be configured asand/or can have an architecture similar or identical to the mobiledevice 300 described herein in FIG. 3. It should be understood, however,that the user device 124 and/or the wearable device 122 may or may notinclude the functionality described herein with reference to FIG. 3.While connections are not shown between the various componentsillustrated in FIG. 3, it should be understood that some, none, or allof the components illustrated in FIG. 3 can be configured to interactwith one other to carry out various device functions. In someembodiments, the components are arranged so as to communicate via one ormore busses (not shown). Thus, it should be understood that FIG. 3 andthe following description are intended to provide a generalunderstanding of a suitable environment in which various aspects ofembodiments can be implemented, and should not be construed as beinglimiting in any way.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the mobile device 300 can include a display302 for displaying data. According to various embodiments, the display302 can be configured to display various graphical user interface(“GUI”) elements, text, images, video, advertisements, various prompts,virtual keypads and/or keyboards, messaging data, notification messages,metadata, internet content, device status, time, date, calendar data,device preferences, map and location data, combinations thereof, and thelike. The mobile device 300 also can include a processor 304 (e.g., theprocessor 130), and a memory or other data storage device (“memory”)306. The processor 304 can be configured to process data and/or canexecute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 306. Thecomputer-executable instructions executed by the processor 304 caninclude, for example, an operating system 308 (e.g., the operatingsystem 136 one or more applications 310 (e.g., the signal detection andanalysis application 132 and/or the application(s) 134), othercomputer-executable instructions stored in a memory 306, or the like. Insome embodiments, the applications 310 also can include a UI application(not illustrated in FIG. 3).

The UI application can interface with the operating system 308 tofacilitate user interaction with functionality and/or data stored at themobile device 300 and/or stored elsewhere. In some embodiments, theoperating system 308 can include a member of the SYMBIAN OS family ofoperating systems from SYMBIAN LIMITED, a member of the WINDOWS MOBILEOS and/or WINDOWS PHONE OS families of operating systems from MICROSOFTCORPORATION, a member of the PALM WEBOS family of operating systems fromHEWLETT PACKARD CORPORATION, a member of the BLACKBERRY OS family ofoperating systems from RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED, a member of the IOSfamily of operating systems from APPLE INC., a member of the ANDROID OSfamily of operating systems from GOOGLE INC., and/or other operatingsystems. These operating systems are merely illustrative of somecontemplated operating systems that may be used in accordance withvarious embodiments of the concepts and technologies described hereinand therefore should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

The UI application can be executed by the processor 304 to aid a user inentering content, viewing account information, answering/initiatingcalls, entering/deleting data, entering and setting user IDs andpasswords for device access, configuring settings, manipulating addressbook content and/or settings, multimode interaction, interacting withother applications 310, and otherwise facilitating user interaction withthe operating system 308, the applications 310, and/or other types orinstances of data 312 that can be stored at the mobile device 300. Thedata 312 can include user preferences, user settings, and/or other data.The applications 310 can include, for example, the signal detection andanalysis application 132, the application(s) 134, presence applications,visual voice mail applications, messaging applications, text-to-speechand speech-to-text applications, add-ons, plug-ins, email applications,music applications, video applications, camera applications,location-based service applications, power conservation applications,game applications, productivity applications, entertainmentapplications, enterprise applications, combinations thereof, and thelike. The applications 310, the data 312, and/or portions thereof can bestored in the memory 306 and/or in a firmware 314, and can be executedby the processor 304. The firmware 314 also can store code for executionduring device power up and power down operations. It can be appreciatedthat the firmware 314 can be stored in a volatile or non-volatile datastorage device including, but not limited to, the memory 306 and/or aportion thereof.

The mobile device 300 also can include an input/output (“I/O”) interface316. The I/O interfaced 316 can be configured to support theinput/output of data such as location information, user information,organization information, presence status information, user IDs,passwords, and application initiation (start-up) requests. In someembodiments, the I/O interface 316 can include a hardwire connectionsuch as USB port, a mini-USB port, a micro-USB port, an audio jack, aPS2 port, an IEEE 1394 (“FIREWIRE”) port, a serial port, a parallelport, an Ethernet (RJ45) port, an RJ11 port, a proprietary port,combinations thereof, or the like. In some embodiments, the mobiledevice 300 can be configured to synchronize with another device totransfer content to and/or from the mobile device 300. In someembodiments, the mobile device 300 can be configured to receive updatesto one or more of the applications 310 via the I/O interface 316, thoughthis is not necessarily the case. In some embodiments, the I/O interface316 accepts I/O devices such as keyboards, keypads, mice, interfacetethers, printers, plotters, external storage, touch/multi-touchscreens, touch pads, trackballs, joysticks, microphones, remote controldevices, displays, projectors, medical equipment (e.g., stethoscopes,heart monitors, and other health metric monitors), modems, routers,external power sources, docking stations, combinations thereof, and thelike. It should be appreciated that the I/O interface 316 may be usedfor communications between the mobile device 300 and a network device orlocal device.

The mobile device 300 also can include a communications component 318.The communications component 318 can be configured to interface with theprocessor 304 to facilitate wired and/or wireless communications withone or more networks. In some embodiments, other networks includenetworks that utilize non-cellular wireless technologies such as WI-FIor WIMAX. In some embodiments, the communications component 318 includesa multimode communications subsystem for facilitating communications viathe cellular network and one or more other networks.

The communications component 318, in some embodiments, includes one ormore transceivers. The one or more transceivers, if included, can beconfigured to communicate over the same and/or different wirelesstechnology standards with respect to one another. For example, in someembodiments one or more of the transceivers of the communicationscomponent 318 may be configured to communicate using Global System forMobile communication (“GSM”), Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”),CDMAONE, CDMA2000, Long-Term Evolution (“LTE”), and various other 2G,2.5G, 3G, 4G, and greater generation technology standards. Moreover, thecommunications component 318 may facilitate communications over variouschannel access methods (which may or may not be used by theaforementioned standards) including, but not limited to, Time DivisionMultiple Access (“TDMA”), Frequency Division Multiple Access (“FDMA”),Wideband CDMA (“W-CDMA”), Orthogonal Frequency-Division multiplexing(“OFDM”), Space-Division Multiple Access (“SDMA”), and the like.

In addition, the communications component 318 may facilitate datacommunications using Generic Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”), EnhancedDate Rates for GSM Evolution (“EDGE”), the High-Speed Packet Access(“HSPA”) protocol family, including High-Speed Downlink Packet Access(“HSDPA”), Enhanced Uplink (“EUL”) or otherwise termed Highs-SpeedUplink Packet Access (“HSUPA”), HSPA+, and various other current andfuture wireless data access standards. In the illustrated embodiment,the communications component 318 can include a first transceiver(“TxRx”) 320A that can operate in a first communications mode (e.g.,GSM). The communications component 318 also can include an N^(th)transceiver (“TxRx”) 320N that can operate in a second communicationsmode relative to the first transceiver 320A (e.g., UMTS). While twotransceivers 320A-N (hereinafter collectively and/or genericallyreferred to as “transceivers 320”) are shown in FIG. 3, it should beappreciated that less than two, two, and/or more than two transceivers320 can be included in the communications component 318.

The communications component 318 also can include an alternativetransceiver (“Alt TxRx”) 322 for supporting other types and/or standardsof communications. According to various contemplated embodiments, thealternative transceiver 322 can communicate using various communicationstechnologies such as, for example, WI-FI, WIMAX, BLUETOOTH, infrared,IRDA, NFC, other RF technologies, combinations thereof, and the like,and can support the communication link 129 shown in FIGS. 1A-1C.

In some embodiments, the communications component 318 also canfacilitate reception from terrestrial radio networks, digital satelliteradio networks, internet-based radio service networks, combinationsthereof, and the like. The communications component 318 can process datafrom a network such as the Internet, an intranet, a broadband network, aWI-FI hotspot, an Internet service provider (“ISP”), a digitalsubscriber line (“DSL”) provider, a broadband provider, combinationsthereof, or the like.

The mobile device 300 also can include one or more sensors 324. Thesensors 324 can include temperature sensors, light sensors, air qualitysensors, movement sensors, orientation sensors, noise sensors, proximitysensors, or the like. As such, it should be understood that the sensors324 can include, but are not limited to, accelerometers, magnetometers,gyroscopes, infrared sensors, noise sensors, microphones, combinationsthereof, or the like. Additionally, audio capabilities for the mobiledevice 300 may be provided by an audio I/O component 326. The audio I/Ocomponent 326 of the mobile device 300 can include one or more speakersfor the output of audio signals, one or more microphones for thecollection and/or input of audio signals, and/or other audio inputand/or output devices.

The illustrated mobile device 300 also can include a subscriber identitymodule (“SIM”) system 328. The SIM system 328 can include a universalSIM (“USIM”), a universal integrated circuit card (“UICC”) and/or otheridentity devices. The SIM system 328 can include and/or can be connectedto or inserted into an interface such as a slot interface 330. In someembodiments, the slot interface 330 can be configured to acceptinsertion of other identity cards or modules for accessing various typesof networks. Additionally, or alternatively, the slot interface 330 canbe configured to accept multiple subscriber identity cards. Becauseother devices and/or modules for identifying users and/or the mobiledevice 300 are contemplated, it should be understood that theseembodiments are illustrative, and should not be construed as beinglimiting in any way.

The mobile device 300 also can include an image capture and processingsystem 332 (“image system”). The image system 332 can be configured tocapture or otherwise obtain photos, videos, and/or other visualinformation. As such, the image system 332 can include cameras, lenses,charge-coupled devices (“CCDs”), combinations thereof, or the like. Themobile device 300 may also include a video system 334. The video system334 can be configured to capture, process, record, modify, and/or storevideo content. Photos and videos obtained using the image system 332 andthe video system 334, respectively, may be added as message content toan MMS message, email message, and sent to another mobile device. Thevideo and/or photo content also can be shared with other devices viavarious types of data transfers via wired and/or wireless communicationdevices as described herein.

The mobile device 300 also can include one or more location components336. The location components 336 can be configured to send and/orreceive signals to determine a geographic location of the mobile device300. According to various embodiments, the location components 336 cansend and/or receive signals from global positioning system (“GPS”)devices, assisted-GPS (“A-GPS”) devices, WI-FI/WIMAX and/or cellularnetwork triangulation data, combinations thereof, and the like. Thelocation component 336 also can be configured to communicate with thecommunications component 318 to retrieve triangulation data fordetermining a location of the mobile device 300. In some embodiments,the location component 336 can interface with cellular network nodes,telephone lines, satellites, location transmitters and/or beacons,wireless network transmitters and receivers, combinations thereof, andthe like. In some embodiments, the location component 336 can includeand/or can communicate with one or more of the sensors 324 such as acompass, an accelerometer, and/or a gyroscope to determine theorientation of the mobile device 300. Using the location component 336,the mobile device 300 can generate and/or receive data to identify itsgeographic location, or to transmit data used by other devices todetermine the location of the mobile device 300. The location component336 may include multiple components for determining the location and/ororientation of the mobile device 300.

The illustrated mobile device 300 also can include a power source 338.The power source 338 can include one or more batteries, power supplies,power cells, and/or other power subsystems including alternating current(“AC”) and/or direct current (“DC”) power devices. The power source 338also can interface with an external power system or charging equipmentvia a power I/O component 340. Because the mobile device 300 can includeadditional and/or alternative components, the above embodiment should beunderstood as being illustrative of one possible operating environmentfor various embodiments of the concepts and technologies describedherein. The described embodiment of the mobile device 300 isillustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system 400 configuredto provide the functionality in accordance with various embodiments ofthe concepts and technologies disclosed herein. In some implementations,the user device 124 and/or the wearable device 122 is configured toutilize an architecture that is the same as or similar to thearchitecture of the computer system 400. It should be understood,however, that modification to the architecture may be made to facilitatecertain interactions among elements described herein.

The computer system 400 includes a processing unit 402, a memory 404,one or more user interface devices 406, one or more input/output (“I/O”)devices 408, and one or more network devices 410, each of which isoperatively connected to a system bus 412. The bus 412 enablesbi-directional communication between the processing unit 402, the memory404, the user interface devices 406, the I/O devices 408, and thenetwork devices 410.

The processing unit 402 may be a standard central processor thatperforms arithmetic and logical operations, a more specific purposeprogrammable logic controller (“PLC”), a programmable gate array, asystem-on-a-chip, or other type of processor known to those skilled inthe art and suitable for controlling the operation of the servercomputer. Processing units are generally known, and therefore are notdescribed in further detail herein.

The memory 404 communicates with the processing unit 402 via the systembus 412. In some embodiments, the memory 404 is operatively connected toa memory controller (not shown) that enables communication with theprocessing unit 402 via the system bus 412. The memory 404 includes anoperating system 418 (e.g., the operating system 136) and one or moreprogram modules 416. The operating system 418 can include, but is notlimited to, members of the WINDOWS, WINDOWS CE, and/or WINDOWS MOBILEfamilies of operating systems from MICROSOFT CORPORATION, the LINUXfamily of operating systems, the SYMBIAN family of operating systemsfrom SYMBIAN LIMITED, the BREW family of operating systems from QUALCOMMCORPORATION, the MAC OS, and/or iOS families of operating systems fromAPPLE CORPORATION, the FREEBSD family of operating systems, the SOLARISfamily of operating systems from ORACLE CORPORATION, other operatingsystems, and the like.

The program modules 416 may include various software and/or programmodules to perform the various operations described herein. The programmodules 416 can include, for example, the signal detection and analysisapplication 132 and/or the application(s) 134. The program modules 416and/or other programs can be embodied in computer-readable mediacontaining instructions that, when executed by the processing unit 402,perform one or more of the operations described herein. According toembodiments, the program modules 416 may be embodied in hardware,software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The memory 404 can alsostore other data, if desired.

By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media mayinclude any available computer storage media or communication media thatcan be accessed by the computer system 400. Communication media includescomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or othertransport mechanism and includes any delivery media. The term “modulateddata signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristicschanged or set in a manner as to encode information in the signal. Byway of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wiredmedia such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wirelessmedia such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. Computer storage media includes, but isnot limited to, RAM, ROM, Erasable Programmable ROM (“EPROM”),Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (“EEPROM”), flash memory or othersolid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”),or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store the desired information and which can beaccessed by the computer system 400. In the claims, the phrase “computerstorage medium” and variations thereof does not include waves or signalsper se and/or communication media.

The user interface devices 406 may include one or more devices withwhich a user accesses the computer system 400. The user interfacedevices 406 may include, but are not limited to, computers, servers,personal digital assistants, cellular phones, or any suitable computingdevices. The I/O devices 408 enable a user to interface with the programmodules 416. In one embodiment, the I/O devices 408 are operativelyconnected to an I/O controller (not shown) that enables communicationwith the processing unit 402 via the system bus 412. The I/O devices 408may include one or more input devices, such as, but not limited to, akeyboard, a mouse, or an electronic stylus. Further, the I/O devices 408may include one or more output devices, such as, but not limited to, adisplay screen or a printer.

The network devices 410 enable the computer system 400 to communicatewith other networks or remote systems via a network 414. Examples of thenetwork devices 410 include, but are not limited to, a modem, a radiofrequency (“RF”) or IR transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, arouter, or a network card. The network 414 may include a wirelessnetwork such as, but not limited to, a Wireless Local Area Network(“WLAN”), a Wireless Wide Area Network (“WWAN”), a Wireless PersonalArea Network (“WPAN”) such as provided via BLUETOOTH technology, aWireless Metropolitan Area Network (“WMAN”) such as a WiMAX network ormetropolitan cellular network. Alternatively, the network 414 may be awired network such as, but not limited to, a Wide Area Network (“WAN”),a wired LAN such as provided via Ethernet, a wired Personal Area Network(“PAN”), or a wired Metropolitan Area Network (“MAN”).

Turning now to FIG. 5, details of a network 500 will be described,according to an illustrative embodiment. The network 500 includes acellular network 502, a packet data network 504, for example, theInternet, and a circuit switched network 506, for example, a publiclyswitched telephone network (“PSTN”). The cellular network 502 includesvarious components such as, but not limited to, base transceiverstations (“BTSs”), Node-B's or e-Node-B's, base station controllers(“BSCs”), radio network controllers (“RNCs”), mobile switching centers(“MSCs”), mobile management entities (“MMEs”), short message servicecenters (“SMSCs”), multimedia messaging service centers (“MMSCs”), homelocation registers (“HLRs”), home subscriber servers (“HSSs”), visitorlocation registers (“VLRs”), charging platforms, billing platforms,voicemail platforms, GPRS core network components, location servicenodes, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (“IMS”), and the like. The cellularnetwork 502 also includes radios and nodes for receiving andtransmitting voice, data, and combinations thereof to and from radiotransceivers, networks, the packet data network 504, and the circuitswitched network 506.

A mobile communications device 508, such as, for example, a cellulartelephone, a user equipment, a mobile terminal, a PDA, a laptopcomputer, a handheld computer, the user device 124, and combinationsthereof, can be operatively connected to the cellular network 502. Thecellular network 502 can be configured as a 2G GSM network and canprovide data communications via GPRS and/or EDGE. Additionally, oralternatively, the cellular network 502 can be configured as a 3G UMTSnetwork and can provide data communications via the HSPA protocolfamily, for example, HSDPA, EUL (also referred to as HSUPA), and HSPA+.The cellular network 502 also is compatible with 4G mobilecommunications standards such as LTE, or the like, as well as evolvedand future mobile standards.

The packet data network 504 includes various devices, for example,servers, computers, databases, and other devices in communication withanother, as is generally known. The packet data network 504 devices areaccessible via one or more network links. The servers often storevarious files that are provided to a requesting device such as, forexample, a computer, a terminal, a smartphone, or the like. Typically,the requesting device includes software (a “browser”) for executing aweb page in a format readable by the browser or other software. Otherfiles and/or data may be accessible via “links” in the retrieved files,as is generally known. In some embodiments, the packet data network 504includes or is in communication with the Internet. The circuit switchednetwork 506 includes various hardware and software for providing circuitswitched communications. The circuit switched network 506 may include,or may be, what is often referred to as a plain old telephone system(“POTS”). The functionality of a circuit switched network 506 or othercircuit-switched network are generally known and will not be describedherein in detail.

The illustrated cellular network 502 is shown in communication with thepacket data network 504 and a circuit switched network 506, though itshould be appreciated that this is not necessarily the case. One or moreInternet-capable devices 510, for example, the user device 124, thewearable device 122, a PC, a laptop, a portable device, or anothersuitable device, can communicate with one or more cellular networks 502,and devices connected thereto, through the packet data network 504. Italso should be appreciated that the Internet-capable device 510 cancommunicate with the packet data network 504 through the circuitswitched network 506, the cellular network 502, and/or via othernetworks (not illustrated).

As illustrated, a communications device 512, for example, a telephone,facsimile machine, modem, computer, the user device 124, or the like,can be in communication with the circuit switched network 506, andtherethrough to the packet data network 504 and/or the cellular network502. It should be appreciated that the communications device 512 can bean Internet-capable device, and can be substantially similar to theInternet-capable device 510.

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that concepts andtechnologies directed to bone conduction tags have been disclosedherein. Although the subject matter presented herein has been describedin language specific to computer structural features, methodological andtransformative acts, specific computing machinery, and computer-readablemedia, it is to be understood that the concepts and technologiesdisclosed herein are not necessarily limited to the specific features,acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specific features, acts andmediums are disclosed as example forms of implementing the concepts andtechnologies disclosed herein.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications andchanges may be made to the subject matter described herein withoutfollowing the example embodiments and applications illustrated anddescribed, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of theembodiments of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein.

We claim:
 1. A computer storage medium that stores computer-readableinstructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause thedevice to perform operations comprising: receiving, via a transducer, avibration signal from a body of a user, wherein the vibration signal isgenerated in response to the user interacting with a bone conductiontag; and analyzing the vibration signal to determine an action to beperformed.
 2. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise performing the action.
 3. The computerstorage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further compriseinstructing a further device to perform the action.
 4. The computerstorage medium of claim 3, wherein the further device comprises awearable device that is worn by the user.
 5. The computer storage mediumof claim 1, wherein the device comprises a user device.
 6. The computerstorage medium of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a wearabledevice that is worn by the user.
 7. The computer storage medium of claim1, wherein the bone conduction tag comprises a plurality of elevationsthat are utilized to encode data to be sent to the device via thevibration signal; and wherein interacting with the bone conduction tagcomprises the user moving a finger across the plurality of elevationsthereby generating the vibration signal.
 8. The computer storage mediumof claim 1, wherein the bone conduction tag comprises a plurality ofmaterials that are utilized to encode data to be sent to the device viathe vibration signal; and wherein interacting with the bone conductiontag comprises the user moving a finger across the plurality of materialsthereby generating the vibration signal.
 9. The computer storage mediumof claim 1, wherein the bone conduction tag comprises a material that ismodified to encode data to be sent to the device via the vibrationsignal; and wherein interacting with the bone conduction tag comprisesthe user moving a finger across the material thereby generating thevibration signal.
 10. A device comprising: a transducer; a processor;and a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:receiving, via the transducer, a vibration signal from a body of a user,wherein the vibration signal is generated in response to the userinteracting with a bone conduction tag, and analyzing the vibrationsignal to determine an action to be performed.
 11. The device of claim10, wherein the operations further comprise performing the action. 12.The device of claim 10, wherein the operations further compriseinstructing a further device to perform the action.
 13. The device ofclaim 12, wherein the further device comprises a wearable device that isworn by the user.
 14. The device of claim 10, wherein the boneconduction tag comprises a plurality of elevations that are utilized toencode data to be sent to the device via the vibration signal; andwherein interacting with the bone conduction tag comprises the usermoving a finger across the plurality of elevations thereby generatingthe vibration signal.
 15. The device of claim 10, wherein the boneconduction tag comprises a plurality of materials that are utilized toencode data to be sent to the device via the vibration signal; andwherein interacting with the bone conduction tag comprises the usermoving a finger across the plurality of materials thereby generating thevibration signal.
 16. The device of claim 10, wherein the boneconduction tag comprises a material that is modified to encode data tobe sent to the device via the vibration signal; and wherein interactingwith the bone conduction tag comprises the user moving a finger acrossthe material thereby generating the vibration signal.
 17. A boneconduction tag comprising: a substrate formed from a first material, thesubstrate comprising a plurality of variations used to encode data andto generate, when interacted with by a user, a vibration signal thatpropagates through a bone of the user to a device that analyzes thevibration signal to determine an action to be performed based upon dataencoded in the plurality of variations.
 18. The bone conduction tag ofclaim 17, wherein the substrate is formed further from a secondmaterial; and wherein the plurality of variations comprises variationsbetween the first material and the second material.
 19. The boneconduction tag of claim 17, wherein the plurality of variationscomprises modifications to the first material.
 20. The bone conductiontag of claim 17, wherein the plurality of variations comprises aplurality of elevations.